Gabe Kapler is introduced as Phillies manager. (Tim Kelly/SportsTalkPhilly)
By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor 
New Philadelphia Phillies manager Gabe Kapler may finish in the top five of Craig Calcaterra’s annual countdown of the best looking managers in the MLB, but he didn’t fare that well in an annual countdown of the sport’s best managers.
Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe released his annual countdown of the sport’s best managers this weekend, and Kapler, before ever coaching a game at the major league level, checked in at No. 28:
We know about Kapler’s tremendous energy and enthusiasm for the game from his days with the Red Sox. He will attempt to whip the Phillies into shape and get them ready for what should be a big spending spree next offseason, when the Phillies will spend on top players in the next step of their rebuild.
Of the five first-time managers in the league, Kapler was the third highest ranked. New Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora was the highest-ranked rookie manager, checking in at No. 26. Aaron Boone, who replaces Joe Girardi as the New York Yankees manager, was ranked a spot higher than Kapler at No. 27. Kapler, of course, came in at No. 28, a spot higher than new Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez, who was Joe Maddon's long time bench coach. New York Mets manager Mickey Callaway, who the Phillies also interviewed for their managerial vacancy, came in at No. 30, something I, for the record, vehemently disagree with. Of the five first time managers, Kapler probably has the worst team to work with for 2018.
Managerial rankings, of course, fluctuate greatly from year-to-year. For all of the success that Ron Gardenhire had in his 13 years as the Minnesota Twins manager, he could drop on this list next year due to the fact that his new team, the Detroit Tigers, seems likely to have a few lean years. Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker, who many were surprised to see return for the 2018 season, came in at No. 23, but may be the favorite to be the first manager fired during the 2018 season.
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In his first offseason at the helm of the Phillies, Kapler has done a commendable job endearing himself to the city of Philadelphia. He flashed world-class preparation in his introductory press conference. He, as Philadelphia has quickly learned, is great for a soundbite, including the one he gave to SportsTalkPhilly.com, where he talked about winning a sh*tload of games.
Though some still want the Phillies to make a major addition to the starting rotation, general manager Matt Klentak has improved the team Kapler is going to get to work with in 2018. In addition to being the first manager to get to have a full season of Rhys Hoskins, Nick Williams, J.P. Crawford and Jorge Alfaro, the club added Carlos Santana, Pat Neshek and Tommy Hunter on free-agent contracts this offseason.
Perhaps the biggest challenge Kapler will face in his tenure with the Phillies is to avoid having a shelf life. Thus far, he appears to have done a very good job of building relationships with his players. This comes after he struggled to build relationships with key players in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization and at least parts of the front office that he worked in. How the intensity that Cafardo alluded to fares with players over the long-run may be the deciding factor in whether Kapler ultimately moves up these type of countdowns, or off them entirely.
